


In Her Arms

by sapphicleksa



Series: FemslashFest 2017 [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Like the cuddles are cute and they love each other, Post-Fall of Overwatch, but they're both kind of fucked up and sad, so there's that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 06:41:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13025409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicleksa/pseuds/sapphicleksa
Summary: Day Two Prompt: BalanceLiterally just Angela and Fareeha cuddling and discussing guilt, duty, and kicking Jack's ass."The U.N. can choke." - Dr. Angela "Mercy" Ziegler





	In Her Arms

Angela used to keep a list in her head, a tally of the people she’d saved and the ones she couldn’t, how many she’d helped and hurt. She used to try to keep those scales weighted to one side, to save two lives every time she took one. She’d managed a few months, before her first big crisis when she could no longer remember every name and face and was left with the overbearing sense that no matter how much she did, it wouldn’t be enough.

Now she kept a smaller list, friends. Family, really, though thinking about Overwatch still brought pain to her chest. She’d failed too many of them. Jack, Gabriel, Ana, the ones she’d looked up to the most.

Fareeha reminded her of that even if she didn’t mean to. Every now and then some little gesture, a phrase, that she’d picked up from the trio that had basically raised her, and Angela felt herself grow silent even as she smiled to see that in some way the people she’d lost lived on. The people they’d _both_ lost lived on.

And often it wasn’t Fareeha, who Angela was currently snuggled close to under a thick blanket, head resting on her shoulder as they watched the news. It was bigger than Fareeha, both of them; it was a reminder to the whole world of what had been lost.

“The masked vigilante known as Soldier: 76 was implicated in a major takedown of the Los Muertos gang. Ian Hemmings is live in Dorado with more.”

Angela sunk closer to Fareeha and squeezed her arm.

“I can change the channel,” Fareeha offered, though her tone suggested she knew what Angela’s response would be.

“No, don’t. I want to hear.”

Fareeha gave Angela’s shoulder a squeeze. “I know you do.” She swallowed. “I do too.”

So they watched, both of their bodies tight but both of them taking comfort in each other. The story changed to a fluff piece about a young robotics prodigy in Numbani and Fareeha turned the TV off, shifting on the couch so she could cuddle Angela more properly and kiss the top of her head.

“I know what you’re going to say, because you say it every time that old bastard shows up.” Her voice was kind but firm. “It’s not your fault. End of discussion.”

“Maybe not, but, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s…” Angela shuddered in revulsion.

“One step away from being a terrorist instead of a vigilante? Yeah,” Fareeha said distastefully. “Not what you want to see your hero become. But…that’s on him. You know? We’re here, we’re still alive, and we’re not the only ones; he could’ve reached out to any of us. But he chose to run off and be alone.”

Angela bit back a slight, wry smile. “We all did that.”

“Did what? _I_ never went all one-woman justice on the world.”

“No, the…being alone, dropping off the grid and doing our own thing. Trying to deal with losing everything. We all did that.” She’d dedicated herself to saving lives, Fareeha had joined Helix, Genji had roamed the wilderness…they’d all drifted. They were still drifting for the most part.

“Still kept in touch,” Fareeha said with raised eyebrows. “Still try to. You know, at the very least reassure each other we’re alive and not running around trying to fix problems with vigilante violence.”

“Isn’t Jesse doing that?” When Fareeha pursed her lips, Angela shook her head. “No, I’m not trying to be catty, it’s what I’ve been seeing on the news; not sure how much of it I believe. Of all the people he’d reach out to…Gabriel’s dead, Genji hasn’t heard anything, so maybe you…?”

“He hasn’t,” she said shortly, and Angela gave her a squeeze. Jesse was her big brother; at least he was still alive, and had never faked his death, but the stories and rumors about his current activity weren’t encouraging. “Believe me, I’m furious with him too. Even if all everything people have been saying is false, which honestly, I don’t see Jesse doing that shit, he’s not that person anymore…he still shouldn’t have disappeared. Give me a call sometime, asshole. Send a text. It’s not that hard.”

“You can’t fight everyone you love,” Angela murmured.

Fareeha kissed her cheek. “I don’t want to fight you.”

“Congrats, one person,” Angela laughed.

“Hush. If I could just fight Jack, that would be enough for me. I’ll settle for punching Jesse, since he didn’t fake his own death.” When Angela looked at her with raised eyebrows and a held-back smile, Fareeha nudged her with her shoulder. “Having one of my three dead parent figures turn out to be alive makes me a little feisty, give me a break here.”

“Yeah, that’s valid. I’ll damage boost you while you kick his ass.”

“Amazing. You’ve always got my back, don’t you.”

“Of course.” Angela popped a kiss on her nose. “I’ve got your front, too.”

“You’re a fucking nerd.”

“Fareeha Amari you can’t even talk.”

“I didn’t say I _wasn’t_ one, just that you were. But, you know…we’ve never been in a real fight together. Two nerds up in the air kicking ass. Could be cool.”

“A real fight?”

“Yeah,” Fareeha nodded. “Like if you worked with Helix…oh, come on, don’t make that face, if Helix was so bad would I be working for them? Would you let me work for them without putting up a huge fuss?”

“It’s fine for you, and what you do,” Angela said pleasantly. She didn’t want to get into a fight over this.

“What I do?” There was a challenge in Fareeha’s voice, but it was light.

“You’re a soldier, I’m a medic, your job is fighting and mine isn’t.”

“I’ve seen you fight. You’re good at it.”

“Maybe. But I don’t love it. You do.”

“It’s less about love and more about duty, using what I can do to help people,” she said ruefully. “You could help people at Helix, you know.”

“You just want me to work with you, you sly lesbian!” Angela gasped as she punched Fareeha gently in the chest.

“Maybe, I mean yes,” Fareeha laughed, “ _but_ , we _do_ have a shortage of medics, and you’re the best, just thought I’d mention it.”

“Thanks for the offer, but you know I don’t want to. I’m done fighting, Fareeha, especially for big global organizations with questionable motives.”

“Helix isn’t very questionable,” Fareeha frowned. “The U.N. backs us.”

“The U.N. can choke,” Angela snorted. She rolled her eyes but smiled when Fareeha started laughing.

Fareeha held up her fingers in far-too dramatic air quotes. “‘The U.N. can choke,’ direct quote from Dr. Angela ‘Mercy’ Ziegler, healer, peacekeeper, hero to us all – ”

“Oh pipe down with that.” Angela covered Fareeha’s hands with hers. “You know what I meant.”

“That you hate the U.N.? Hold on, I need to call TMZ, have I got a scoop for them.”

“ _Stop_ ,” Angela laughed. “Now you’re just being an ass. I don’t want to fight, okay? I, I’d love to be with you, but, I’m done fighting. I’ve done too much of that; I just need to help people for a little while. Even things out a little.”

Fareeha’s smile was sadder now. “I thought you were done making lists.”

“I am. I can’t keep track anymore, but…I know where I stand. I need to do more.” She looked down, away from Fareeha; she always had trouble meeting her love’s eyes when she was talking about what a terrible person she was.

Fareeha, of course, knew exactly what she was thinking. “You’re not a terrible person. You’re not a perfect person, no one is, but I can say with complete confidence that you’ve changed the world for the better. You don’t need to beat yourself up over not being perfect.”

Angela knew she was right, but without even trying she could rattle off dates and missions where she hadn’t helped at all. “I’m tired of fighting,” she whispered finally. “I’m tired. I want to save lives, not take them, and I want to stay right here with you when I’m not doing that.”

“You can. Of course you can.” Fareeha pulled her closer, and for that moment, cuddled together in the home they shared, neither of them thought about betrayal or violence or the hopeless struggle to right the too-many wrongs of this too-dark world. The weight of that world fell away, the scales crumbled under the weight of their love; balance wasn’t a lofty, never-reached goal. It was the warmth of Fareeha’s body and the security of her arms.

**Author's Note:**

> I think we can accept that I'll probably be a day late on all of these rippp


End file.
